Even though Old Man Winter refused to go quietly into hibernation, spring indeed has sprung in Iowa. Turkey hunters anticipate opening day to test their skills and good fortune. Baseball lovers of all ages watch that first pitch crossing home plate to signal the launch of America’s favorite pastime. The arrival of spring brings farm families a sense of renewal and purpose as the busy planting season gets underway.
It’s also the time of year when taxpayers must get all their ducks in a row to file their taxes by April 15.
Disturbingly, just one week before the nation’s tax-filing deadline, a new federal audit shows how taxpayers are viewed as sitting ducks by some unscrupulous federal employees who misuse government-issued credit cards for personal spending sprees.
The report revealed federal agencies could not account for almost $2 million worth of items purchased with government credit cards. What’s more, the Government Accountability Office said nearly half of all transactions made during the 2006 fiscal year using the purchase cards did not follow proper procedures to prevent abuse.
This latest report adds fuel to the fire I’ve been working to extinguish since 2001. That’s when I first discovered mismanaged government credit card accounts at the Department of Defense. Since then I’ve learned additional federal agencies also have shown an incredible inability to rein in abusive spending by employees using government credit or debit cards. The most basic principles to authorize purchases and account for goods and services somehow get bungled in the federal bureaucracy.
Perhaps now my legislative attempts to clamp down on the problem will gain traction in Congress. If federal agencies aren’t able to prevent dishonest employees from swiping tax dollars when they swipe through a transaction using their government credit card, this U.S. Senator will see to it that Congress does its job to protect the public purse.
My committee-passed bill now pending before the full Senate would require federal agencies to install penalties for wrongful and fraudulent use of government credit cards. The bill would require the Inspector General for each agency to conduct periodic audits to identify violations. Serious violators would be subject to losing their jobs and/or facing prosecution by the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
The latest audit of the federal government’s credit card system studied transactions made from July 1, 2005 through September 30, 2006. Wrongful purchases were categorized as “fraudulent,” “abusive” or “improper.”
Those descriptions don’t do justice to an outrageous spending pattern that somehow went undetected by the U.S. Forest Service. One employee gamed the system from 2000 to 2006 to create a cash pipeline for a live-in boyfriend. She managed to deposit more than $640,000 in their joint bank account before her reckless wildfire was put out by a whistleblower who tipped off investigators. Without the whistleblower sucking the oxygen out of her scheme, it’s hard telling how long the fleecing would have continued. It sounds nearly impossible to believe such a lack of accountability could exist. In a gross disservice to hard-working taxpayers, the U.S. Forest Service failed to see the forest or the trees. The good news is the former employee was sentenced to prison and ordered to repay the money.
Other improper charges found during the investigation included payments for Internet dating services, lingerie, laptop computers, digital cameras, iPods, expensive clothing and fine dining.
It’s time to end the open season on taxpayers. The credit card system was intended to streamline government purchases by federal employees. Better management, stronger enforcement and stiffer penalties must take place across the board to show federal employees there is zero tolerance for squandering tax dollars.
When Congress appropriates money to the U.S. Forest Service, the U.S. State Department or the Pentagon, those tax dollars better be used to serve the taxpaying public. No matter the season of the year, I’m prepared to hunt down waste, fraud and abuse as long as it takes to get the job done.
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
***Please note that Senator Grassley is unable to provide a response from this email address. If you have a concern or question you would like addressed, please email him at chuck_grassley@grassley.senate.gov. Thank you.